The Mountain Holds the Line: Tribute to the 10th Mountain Division (Official 4K/HD Audio)

Born at Camp Hale & proven on Riva Ridge, 10th Mountain Division turned impossible terrain into a road for courage. “The Mountain Holds the Line” salutes the soldiers who climb into cold, danger, and history itself— Light infantry with mountain grit & an unbreakable vow: Climb to Glory. (Lyrics & Music by Dr. Donny "Rocker" Deever) [Intro] Where the air grows thin and the hard winds rise, where the trail disappears in the snow, there are soldiers who climb when the world says “stop,” and go where the brave must go. [Verse 1] High in the Rockies at old Camp Hale, where the winter cut out the sun, they learned to live where the mountains ruled till the few refused to say "Done!" With skis on snow and ropes on stone, with rucksacks bent in the cold, they built a force for the hardest ground with a spark no storm could dull. [Pre-Chorus] Not made for comfort, not made for ease, not built for a level plain; They found their strength where the path grew steep and the mountain taught them pain. [Chorus] Climb to glory, hold the line, mountain soldiers, hearts of iron. Through the snow, through the stone, through the fight far from home, when the road turns hard and high— They climb. Climb to glory, never fall, light infantry answering the call. Where the cold winds cry and the eagles fly, the 10th still holds the line. [Verse 2] Then Italy called from its broken peaks, with freedom under fire; Riva Ridge stood dark and steep like a wall of stone and wire. They climbed by night where few could climb, then struck at Belvedere; and the enemy learned in the mountain smoke what courage unleashed there. [Pre-Chorus 2] From ridge to ridge, from height to height, through the storm of shot and shell, they opened roads through impossible ground and their stories we still tell. [Chorus] Climb to glory, hold the line, mountain soldiers, hearts of iron. Through the snow, through the stone, through the fight far from home, when the road turns hard and high— They climb. Climb to glory, never fall, light infantry answering the call. Where the cold winds cry and the eagles fly, the 10th still holds the line. [Verse 3] Through the Po Valley they pressed ahead, with the Alps in winter’s sight; They carried the cost of the mountain war and the fallen through the night. The old ski troops became a name that history carved in stone: When the country needs the hardest way, the Mountain makes it known. [Pre-Chorus 3] For glory is not easy ground, not forged by selfish aim; It is every step a soldier takes while carrying another’s name. [Chorus] Climb to glory, hold the line, mountain soldiers, hearts of iron. Through the snow, through the stone, through the fight far from home, when the road turns hard and high— They climb. Climb to glory, never fall, light infantry answering the call. Where the cold winds cry and the eagles fly, the 10th still holds the line. [Verse 4] Fort Drum knows their winter breath, the frozen dawn, the drill; The boots in snow, the miles in mud, the rucksack on the hill. They move with ropes and mountain sense, with snowshoes, skis, and nerve; But every skill is more than skill— It is learning how to serve. [Pre-Chorus 4] The mountain is a teacher, and its lesson does not end: Watch your step, watch your soul, and never leave a friend. [Chorus] Climb to glory, hold the line, mountain soldiers, hearts of iron. Through the snow, through the stone, through the fight far from home, when the road turns hard and high— They climb. Climb to glory, never fall, light infantry answering the call. Where the cold winds cry and the eagles fly, the 10th still holds the line. [Bridge] From Somalia’s streets to Haiti's shore, from Bosnia's watchful ground, from Kosovo roads to Afghanistan, where mountain echoes sound, from Iraq's long heat to the next unknown, they have answered time on time; For the patch on the shoulder carries a vow: When duty rises, CLIMB! [Verse 5] They are not just soldiers of snow and stone, not just legends of long ago; They're today’s hard-marching light infantry with a worldwide road to go. They know the climb is never done, the summit still demands; So they train their hearts for the hardest part— To serve where freedom stands. [Final Chorus] Climb to glory, hold the line, mountain soldiers, hearts of iron. Through the snow, through the stone, through the fight far from home, when the road turns hard and high— They climb. Climb to glory, never fall, light infantry answering the call. Where the cold winds cry and the eagles fly, the 10th still holds the line. [Final Lift] For Camp Hale and the ski troops, for Riva Ridge at night, for Belvedere and every name that paid the mountain’s price, for the families and the fallen, for the soldiers still assigned, raise a song for the 10th Mountain— The mountain holds the line. [Outro] When it takes more than tries, and hard winds rise, where cliffs are steep, and snow is deep, America sees those with their skis: As the 10th climbs to glory.